VOA科学技术2023--Paris Prepares to Launch Flying Taxis during 2024 Olympics

Paris Prepares to Launch Flying Taxis during 2024 Olympics

French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. If the taxis are actually deployed¹ in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world demonstration² of the flying technology.

Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support. One of the companies in attendance was Germany's Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.

But so far, no air taxi maker³ has received government approval to launch service in France. Volocopter hopes to be the first. But the company still needs to run its aircraft through intensive weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Company chief Dirk Hoke admitted to the Reuters news agency that securing the approval will not be easy. "It's not a walk in the park to be the first..." he said.

Volocopter plans to carry out tests of its electric air taxis in different environments in Germany next month.

Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, the environment for air taxi companies has also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world.

Robin⁴ Riedel co-leads the Center for Future Mobility⁵ at the business advisory⁶ company McKinsey. She told Reuters that companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years. In addition, many investors⁷ have decided⁸ to put money into drones instead of flying taxis.

Industry experts say they fear these struggles could signal more financial problems for many other companies involved in air taxi development.

Hoke – a former top executive at air industry player Airbus – has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis – French President Emmanuel Macron.

"That would be super amazing," Hoke told The Associated Press at the Paris Air Show. He added: "(Macron) believes in the innovation of urban air mobility. That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying."

One of the five planned Olympic trips would land in the heart of the city on a floating pad on the River Seine.

In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly⁹. This is because limited battery technology restricts the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry.

The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies. Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers. As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis and drones is expected to reach into the millions.

Hoke said that one thing is sure, "It will be a total new experience for the people." He added, "Twenty years later (when) someone looks back at what changed based on that, and then they call it a revolution. And I think we are at the edge of the next revolution."

Words in This Story

a walk in the park – idiom. something that is very easy to do

drone – n. a pilotless aircraft

mobility – n. the ability to move freely or be easily moved

innovation– n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods

battery – n. a device placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity

 

manage – v. to succeed in doing or dealing with something

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

6 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。